It's no secret that I love to try new recipes, right?
Do you know how many lists I have of recipes that I want to try?
I can't bear to think of how many recipes that are dog-eared in cookbooks or clipped from magazines.
And please don't get me started on how many recipes that are waiting for me on my Pinterest boards!
I am all about accountability and I think a great way for me to actually get to work tasting and experimenting with the previously mentioned recipes would be to make a list of 10 that I must try this month.
I'm thinking out loud here, but perhaps I could even, challenge myself with a new list each month, share it here and then let you know how the recipes turned out by either sharing them or letting you know that it didn't recieve the anticipated thumbs-up from enough of my chief critics (the kids, the Hubs, the dog, who loves his vegetables).
Sound like a plan?
This may be overly ambitious but here are my first 10 recipes that I am anxious to try. I will try to include a mix of cookbook recipes, Pinterest or clipped recipes and recipes that friends or family have shared with me.
Here we go -
10 Recipes to Make this Month: April Edition
1. Homemade Salted Caramel to be used for Salted Caramel Krispy Bars from Sally's Baking Addiction cookbook. Picture a layer of salted caramel oozing amongst rice krispie bars and you can probably taste this one.
2. Flapjacks - these are not pancakes, mind you, they are the most amazing little Graze snacks that are delivered to homes across the world but apparently not sold anywhere other than via this delivery service. The service sends regular deliveries to your work or home and each healthy snack has a healthy benefit. I can't wait to get my delivery and will admit that I have been known to have to either devour the box before the kids get home or to hide my stash. I have become a bit obsessed with figuring out a recipe that can be created to even remotely duplicate the soft and chewy oat and fruit flapjack bars. By the way, if you want to try a free sample of the wonderful Graze goodies, you can use my friend code for a free sample: DXK65FC9B.
3. Teriyaki Pork Loin Stirfry - my sister-in-law Jessica and I have the same cookbook and she recommended this recipe a while back and I have been wanting to try it for ages. It's coined a "healthy option" with rave reviews that comes together quickly.
4. Hot Cross Buns - each month I get a copy of the King Arthur catalog and I have been smitten with the hot cross buns they display this time of year. My grandma used to make these and I want to mimic her recipe. I want to compare her recipe with the King Arthur flour version and see what I can come up with.
5. Coconut Macaroons - I have a recipe that I love from Barefoot Contessa but another caught my attention a while back as it adds a hint of orange and is dipped in dark chocolate. I am envisioning what they would look like shaped like eggs for Easter.
6. Homemade Hummus with Kalamata Olives - Do you know how many years it has taken my local grocery store to carry Tahini? Or how many times I have inquired at area grocers and been met with a look of confusion?
7. Carrot Cake Blondies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting caught my eye on Pinterest recently and I thought they would be perfect to try before Easter.
8. A new punch recipe is also needing to be tested prior to Easter and I am flirting between two that I found on Pinterest that look tempting - a Banana Slush Punch or a are the two contenders that are in the running.
9. Okay, this isn't technically a recipe but while we are on the topic of Easter, I also spied the cutest idea to pack a kid-lunch using plastic Easter eggs to stuff the vegetables, fruits, dried snacks, cheese cubes, etc. and then the eggs are sent to school in an egg carton. For dessert, there is a rice-krispie treat shaped as an egg. I'm thinking Miss Bella will be excited to find her lunch bag (I'm thinking the egg carton might be a bit much for the Middle School lunch room) filled with these eggs!
10. Miss Mara is out for a visit right now and she adores Alfredo recipes so I am really wanting to make her these Parmesean Garlic Bites with Alfredo Dip before her Spring Break is over.